Celtic Diary Tuesday May 24: The Goosebumps of Anticipation

I have to say that is the strangest title for a Diary I’ll ever, ever use.

In front of a crowd at Celtic Park estimated to be just under 90,000 , new manager Brendan Rodgers told us what it felt like to be in charge.

Alright, maybe not 90,000, but it was certainly between 10 and 15,000.

And it looks like some bastards are  in our seats

All of this would certainly have  made him feel welcome, and probably made a watching Ronny Deila feel a little inadequate. If he was watching, of course.

Rodgers held a press conference, which is here;

The first Press Conference

and then went out to meet the fans, which is here;

The Unveiling

Then he probably went for a lie down, to relieve the pain in his shoulders which suddenly appeared to have taken on a huge weight of expectation.

“My message is that we’ll do our very best and I’m here because of them . I’ve been a Celtic supporter all my life and I’m very lucky now to have been given the opportunity to step out of the stands and on to the sideline and manage the team.

“So hopefully they will understand that when you have that passion and emotion with the club, myself and the staff and the players will be doing absolutely everything we can to meet the challenges that are set for us – that’s to dominate here in Scotland and to qualify for the Champions League.

“For that we need them. This is an incredible football club, the support here is phenomenal and my idea is to get the stands filled again.

He paid tribute to Dermot Desmond, who played a large part, .i,e, the wages, in bringing Rodgers to the club;

“That was a big swaying factor . I met Dermot in London along with Peter and I could see the hunger and the passion in his eyes. He wasn’t just talking through any old spiel to get me here. He has a real genuine passion and love for the club. 

“I was aware of Dermot Desmond, the name and the association with his past. But I came away really impressed by him.

“Then, following that, he made a couple of really important calls to me. We had a real long conversation one night. We were about half an hour on the phone. Dermot made it pretty clear that I was the one they wanted here.”  

He hadn’t asked for the job, as he explains here..

“I don’t have an agent, I do my own deals.  I was just waiting to see what the possibilities were.

“There were a few opportunities, but Peter rang me when Ronny said he was going to leave. I’m a Celtic supporter, I love the club so, out of respect, I thought I would go and speak to both Peter and Dermot.

“I have to say they were very impressive. They were very realistic in terms of where the club is at. They felt the need to hopefully push it on.

“When you weigh it all up and have that sense the club really want you, it means a lot to you. It’s not then so much about money or anything like that. It was purely that Celtic wanted me here as manager.

“After weighing it all up and speaking to family we felt it was going to be a good experience for us.

“Don’t get me wrong, I have had a number of guys who have said ‘Don’t go – why would you go?’ but this is Celtic and it’s different. It is a challenge, of course. It is a different market, a different budget but this can be a wonderful opportunity to come and help the players. If I can help the game in Scotland then great, but this is about helping Celtic.”

I’m hoping that I’m reading this correctly, and if I am then we could be in for a sharp upturn in fortunes.

He’s a Celtic fan, there’s no doubt about that.

He’s a good manager, there’s no doubt about that. He’s proved himself down south.

He’s saying he’s come to help Celtic out.

Or, “he’s been summoned to the cause and is here to do his bit”- like any one of us would do.

Except, in fairness, he’s probably better at it than us.

Then he spoke about the players….

I have to assess it a wee bit more Sometimes you can watch games and have an idea but it’s not until you work with the players.

“What I can say is there are a lot of talented players and I’m really looking forward to meeting the captain. Scott Brown is someone I’ve admired from a distance for a number of years and his drive and determination and quality is going to be important for me and the team.

“I know there are a number of other good players as well but until I get to work with them on a daily basis and we can come together then I can probably give a clearer idea then.” 

And is he here just to bide his time until a big job in the English league comes along ? As no doubt will be the media line for the next few months…

“Unfortunately, most times now it is not the manager who decides how long you are at a club, It’s normally the club. But when you come into any club, you come in for the longer term.

“I look at Martin O’Neill, he was here for five years. Neil Lennon was here for four seasons. So you want to bring success to the club and however long that takes, you want that opportunity.

“Time is the big thing you want as a manager, but ultimately you don’t get that. You’ve got to win games and you’ve got to perform.

“But at this moment in time, I’ve got no thoughts of Celtic being a stepping stone and moving back into the Premier League.

“I don’t want to work in the Premier League for 20 years, hence the reason I came up here.

“This is a wonderful country. It has some top- class coaches and managers. You are working in a totally different market at a totally different level.

“For me, it is a challenge. However long the challenge is, I will be here.

“You don’t know what the future holds. For me, to come here and manage and be successful – it’s certainly not going to be for a year, that’s for sure.

“When I left Liverpool, I could have been in a Premier League job the next day. On the Monday, I got a call from a club. But I wanted to have time out from the intensity of managing big clubs and the pressures that come with it.

“Swansea contacted me in January when Garry Monk left. But I was always clear I wanted to break out. It was always clear that I wanted to go back in the summer.

“I could have waited and maybe got another job in the Premier League, but I hope to be managing for another 20-odd years.

“The chance to manage Celtic might not come again, which is why I felt I wantedto talk and then be here today.”

There’s little else he could do but say words along those lines, though don’t get me wrong, it’s great to hear them, and he says them with no little conviction.

 Leigh Griffiths made sure he was in good books from the first possible opportunity when he carried the League trophy out yesterday, showing a remarkable degree of sobriety for any Hibernian supporter.

Though the real story here is that Leigh hasn’t let go of the thing since it was presented after the Motherwell game. And didn’t seem to want to yesterday either;

He’s not the only one hanging on to something precious. The picture of the day has to be this supporter , who, having been unable to locate a scarf,  improvised during a rendition of “walk on”

There’s been a lot of reaction to the appointment, not least over in County Antrim, where they may be a suggestion of editorial bias…

Though I did have to look twice at the bottom left of the page.

Having become accustomed to “rangers ” stories placed in the papers to counter any good news eminating from Celtic Park, I actually thought it was a statement on the Ibrox transfer policy, but then that would have been “We Buy Any Crap “.

The Record are preparing their response…

As for the opposition, Derek McInnes of Aberdeen has welcomed the new manager, recognising that as Celtic’s main rivals, he too, will have to up his game, as has Tommy Wright of St. Johnstone, who are another possible contender for honours next season.

But there’s been no word from Ibrox, or their manager, who once worked under Rodgers down south. Ah, wait, we were talking about contenders….

In fact, come to think of it, there’s been no word from Warburton about anything…

Three “rangers ” players, Law, Clark and Templeton have been released, not from hospital, but from the club, without a word from their boss, which is odd, and adds fuel to rumours that he is embarrassed by the clubs official line after the Scottish cup final and is now seeking a way out.

From Football League World…although we told you this months ago

Warburton, current manager of Scottish giants Rangers, could very well be manager at the iPro Stadium next season.

The Rams have had a very disappointing campaign, having spent a sizeable amount of money on transfer fees and lost out on a trip to Wembley, after a 3-2 defeat on aggregate to Hull City.

It is unlikely interim head coach Darren Wassall will be given the job on a permanent basis, after taking over from the departing Paul Clement in February.

Mark Warburton led the Bees to a fifth-place finish in the Championship in 2015, before losing to Middlesbrough in the Play-Off semi-finals.  

Actually, the PR assault from Ibrox does suggest a massive deflection from something, and maybe this is it.

For those of you who don’t like reading about the Ibrox club, bear with me, because it is relevant.

They are certainly deflecting , along with the SFA, from something….

Tomorrow, after all, those adverts placed by the Resolution 12 guys go live, and part 2 of the Summer of Fun begins….

And don’t at all be surprised if Joey Barton, the midfielder rumoured to be joining “rangers ” doesn’t end up there…especially when they check out his twitter feed..

It’s going to be a wonderful summer…

Many many quality entries to the caption competition yesterday, but Carl Jungle Bhoy scooped it, and saved us the bother , while Charlie Saiz is on his sabbatical, of outting the words on the picture..

todays caption competition shows Peter Lawwells delight and relief at no longer having to run the playing side of the club as well, or does it ?